Av Damon Gettier

Av Damon Gettier

Av Damon Gettier

People often ask us when they should do their home upgrades: right now, or when they’re getting ready to sell their home?No matter what upgrades you do, you first need to realize that you’re never going to get 100% of your money back on your investment. Your upgrades will make your home much more saleable and you’ll likely get a higher price for it…

We’ve had a lot of people reach out lately with the same question: As a seller, what should I do when my home has drawn multiple offers? Today I’ll take a quick moment to offer my advice. In one of my latest videos, we focused on multiple-offer scenarios from a buyer’s standpoint. If you missed it, you can check it out here. Today we’ll shift our f…

Recently, a buyer client asked us what they’ll need to include in their offer to grab a seller’s eye when they’ve amassed multiple offers, so that’s the focus for today.The first bit of advice I give to buyers is actually the same thing I would advise a seller to do: Use a local lender. The truth is when multiple offers are in front of a seller, th…

It’s that time of year where the market is getting busier and busier, and we seem to be coming across a lot of buyers who only want to work with a listing agent when buying a home. Why? Because it’s commonly believed in the real estate world that you can save money on commission fees by only working with a listing agent. Here’s the thing, though—yo…

People always ask us what steps they must take to prepare their home for the market. Well, in addition to having us perform an analysis of the property, the first step any future seller must take is to clean and declutter. If you’re not using something, it’s time to pack it away. “The first step any future seller must take is to clean and declutter…

If you want to improve your credit score, there are several ways to do so. The first step you should take is to reach out to our team. We’d be happy to connect you with an experienced local lender who can help guide you through the steps of obtaining a better score. Some items on your credit report may be more important than you think. There may ev…

Right now, the situation in our market is crazy. In my 17 years in the real estate business, I’ve only been a part of one boom, but it looks like we’re entering a second boom. The number of pending sales in February and March of this year were the highest levels we’ve seen since 2005. In other words, we’re in a very active buyer’s market.There are …

In today’s video, we’re finishing up our six-part series of tips for sellers who are looking to sell their homes faster and for more money. Today’s home seller tip is: You should just hire Damon Gettier & Associates for your next transaction.We’ve been the No. 1 real estate company in Central/Southwest Virginia for five years now, which means we’ve…

When purchasing a home, there are important things that every buyer should do. In the final part of our series, we’ll discuss a very important thing you should definitely remember.Don’t make big purchases after signing.After speaking with a lender, so many people want to go out and buy new furniture, new appliances, or other big-ticket items. And a…

Welcome back to part five of our six-part series on how to sell your home faster and for more money. Today we’re talking about how to create a buzz around your home in advance of listing it.When we are getting ready to list a home, we take it through a two-week “Coming Soon” period. Not only do we put a “Coming Soon” sign in the yard, but we also g…

Coming in at No. 5 on our list of the six things you should never do when purchasing a home is forgetting closing costs.I don’t like the term “closing costs” when referring to the amount you’ll pay when closing on a home, though, because it should actually be called “cost to close.”In our contracts, closing costs refer to the attorney fees, survey …

It’s time to continue our series on selling your house faster and for more money. For the fourth installment, we’re going to focus on making your home more energy efficient.There are plenty of things you can do in order to accomplish this. Replacing your current light bulbs with LED bulbs is a good place to start.Replacing your water heater isn’t a…

As a continuation into our series on things not to do when buying a home, today we’ll be talking about why making lowball offers is a major mistake.Some buyers believe the reason agents offer this advice is because we want to make a higher commission. This isn’t the case. Your agent is there for you and your best interest.“If you really want to str…

Today we are continuing our series on selling for the most money in the least amount of time by talking about brightening up your living space.The easiest thing to do is by opening up your blinds. We go into a lot of homes with closed blinds because the owners want to reduce the incoming heat or want some additional privacy. Opening these up will a…

When searching for a home, never understate your budget.What I mean by that is if you can afford a $200,000 house, tell your agent you can afford a $200,000 house. Not being honest and upfront with your agent about your finances can lead to unnecessary headaches and wasted time.For example, we recently worked with a husband and wife who said their …

First impressions matter, and real estate is no exception. This is why today as we continue our discussion about the six most profitable selling tips, we will be talking about the importance of curb appeal.If a buyer doesn’t like what they see when driving by your listing, they will instantly dismiss it. You have probably heard time and time again …

In continuing our series about the six things you never want to do when buying a house, we are talking today about choosing a mortgage lender.In order to find a mortgage lender, I highly suggest that you collaborate with a full-time, experienced Realtor you trust. They need to have sold more than one or two houses and be actively engaged in the ind…

Today’s topic is the first of my six-part series about tips sellers can use to make the most money possible in the shortest amount of time when selling their home.My first tip is to stage your home, and the first step to staging is decluttering. If you have not used an item you own in the last year, or if you don’t plan to use it in the next year, …

Welcome to the first installment of my new series on the things you should never do when buying a home.The first thing you should never do when buying a home is shop without an agent. What you should do instead is find an agent you are comfortable working with. If you see a home you like and call that home’s listing agent, you need to remember that…

Today we’re going to finish our series on downsizing. Once you’ve completed the process and are in your new home, you need to know how to utilize your storage space. You have a smaller house, and you can’t fit all your possessions. However, there are a few different ways that you can maximize the space in your new place.Closet Storage Organizers is…

Today I’m back with the fourth part of my buyer agency and exclusivity series. For this installment, I’ll be talking about what happens when you work without an agency.The good news is that you aren’t obligated to work with any particular agent, but the bad news is that this means no one is obligated to work with you.Most likely, there are around a…

It’s time to continue our ongoing discussion about downsizing. If you haven’t already seen the first two installments in this series, I highly recommend checking those out. You can find the first part here and the second part here.Now let’s move onto today’s topic. For this installment in our downsizing series, I’d like to talk about the importance…

How do you terminate a buyer agency agreement?In Virginia, there is no official “termination of buyer agency” option. Buyers can request a release if they no longer want to work with their agent, though. Whenever this happens, we find that it’s usually because they found another house they want to buy through another agent.This can be a sticky situ…

Today we’re going to continue our discussion on downsizing. Last time we talked about what you should keep, so the focus today is on what you should get rid of. It’s not so quite cut and dry.First, find your absolutes. The things that you’re keeping no matter what. An heirloom, a gift, or an expensive piece of technology or clothing. “A donation to…

You may have heard of a buyer agency agreement, but what is it? Essentially, this agreement establishes a consensus between a buyer and real estate agent. It affirms the exclusivity of their relationship, meaning if a buyer purchases a home within a certain period of time, they have agreed to do so through a specific broker.It’s important to realiz…

If you’re in the process of downsizing, the first thing you must realize is that everything you have now you won’t have when you move.This is why I highly encourage you to go through you house, identify what your “must-have” items are, and label them as such. Make sure you know what you must have before the time comes to sell your house or the time…

Why do agents request exclusive agreement contracts when working with buyers and sellers?For one thing, this is how they make a living. They need to protect themselves. Nobody would go to work for someone else for weeks at a time and not expect to get paid. A real estate agent and their client both have something they need of each other, and an exc…

Today, we’ll be continuing our series on things to do when preparing to sell your home. The tip I’d like to share this time is: Just do it!There are so many things in life that we tend to put off for another day instead of taking care of them as soon as possible. I’m not going to lie to you. Putting your home on the market certainly isn’t the most …

What is homeowners insurance? Why should you consider obtaining it when purchasing a home?Homeowners insurance is something that’s required by the lender. If you get a loan to purchase a house, the lender will require that you insure their asset.When you obtain homeowners insurance, you want to make sure of a couple of things. First, you want to ma…

Today, I’d like to return to our series on things to do when selling your home. This time, let’s talk about paper.For some reason, many people feel the need to save away every little piece of paper they come across. Really, there’s only a couple of things you need to keep. Tax returns, bank statements, and some bills are essentially all you need to…

As I’ve mentioned in the past, unexpected costs can arise during any home purchase. Today, I’d like to go over one type of cost in particular: utilities.If you were renting a property before you made your home purchase, things like your water or heat may have been included. However, as a homeowner, these costs must be accounted for.“When submitting…

I’m back with part three of our series on selling your home. Today I’d like to discuss the benefits of using clear plastic bins to store your belongings as opposed to cardboard boxes.Not only are cardboard boxes fire hazards, insect attractors, and susceptible to mice and other rodents, but you can’t see anything either. You have to unpack the whol…

Today we’re continuing our series about the unexpected costs of homeownership with a discussion of taxes.When you buy a house, you are responsible for the property taxes. Most of the time, that’s included in your payment unless you have an arrangement otherwise.“If you’re not extremely responsible with money, it’s very important that you let the ba…

Today we’re going to talk about giving yourself time as a seller to get everything prepared to move.So many people call us wanting to list their house, but they want the sign in their yard the next day. Their house at the time is usually in no way, shape, or form ready to sell.If you’re going to sell your house and it’s not an emergency—such as a d…

In addition to the costs I mentioned last time, another unexpected cost you need to watch out for is the maintenance for your home.When you rent a house, you don’t have the same external and internal maintenance duties you have when you buy a house. Of course, you don’t have the tax advantages either.“When buying a home, budget accordingly.”When bu…

The first task I want to talk about when it comes to things you must do when selling your home is sorting, or how to simplify your moving experience.There are a couple ways you can do this. One way is to sort stuff into piles. This includes stuff you want to donate, stuff you want to trash, and stuff you want to keep. I generally suggest another wa…

Don’t go into a transaction unprepared. There is a difference between closing costs and the total cost to close, and it could be thousands of dollars.Want to Sell Your Home? Get the Value of Your Central or Southwest Virginia HomeLooking to Buy a Home? Search All Homes on the MLSToday we’re going to discuss some of the unexpected costs you may run …

Don’t go into a transaction unprepared. There is a difference between closing costs and the total cost to close, and it could be thousands of dollars. Want to Sell Your Home? Get the Value of Your Central or Southwest Virginia Home Looking to Buy a Home? Search All Homes on the MLS Today we’re going to discuss some of the unexpected costs you may r…

Are there any loan options for home renovations out there? There are two, but one is better than the other.Want to Sell Your Home? Get the Value of Your Central or Southwest Virginia HomeLooking to Buy a Home? Search All Homes on the MLSThere are two types of loans that you can get to help fund your renovation project: the FHA loan and conventional…

If a buyer makes a speedy visit to your house, they’re probably not interested in it. Here’s why.Want to Sell Your Home? Get the Value of Your Central or Southwest Virginia HomeLooking to Buy a Home? Search All Homes on the MLSIf a prospective buyer zips in and out of your house, they’re probably not a serious buyer—at least not for your house.Ther…

Are there any loan options for home renovations out there? There are two, but one is better than the other. Want to Sell Your Home? Get the Value of Your Central or Southwest Virginia Home Looking to Buy a Home? Search All Homes on the MLS There are two types of loans that you can get to help fund your renovation project: the FHA loan and conventio…

If a buyer makes a speedy visit to your house, they’re probably not interested in it. Here’s why. Want to Sell Your Home? Get the Value of Your Central or Southwest Virginia Home Looking to Buy a Home? Search All Homes on the MLS If a prospective buyer zips in and out of your house, they’re probably not a serious buyer—at least not for your house. …

There are a few things you need to know about open houses, and whether they are truly worth it.Want to Sell Your Home? Get the Value of Your Central or Southwest Virginia HomeLooking to Buy a Home? Search All Homes on the MLSA question my team and I often get is, “What happens when my agent meets a buyer at my open house?”The first thing to know is…

There are a few things you need to know about open houses, and whether they are truly worth it. Want to Sell Your Home? Get the Value of Your Central or Southwest Virginia Home Looking to Buy a Home? Search All Homes on the MLS A question my team and I often get is, “What happens when my agent meets a buyer at my open house?” The first thing to kno…

When someone says they are just beginning their home search, they could mean a number of different things. Here’s a better question to ask a buyer.Want to Sell Your Home? Get the Value of Your Central or Southwest Virginia HomeLooking to Buy a Home? Search All Homes on the MLSWhat does it mean when someone says they are “just starting” their home s…

When someone says they are just beginning their home search, they could mean a number of different things. Here’s a better question to ask a buyer. Want to Sell Your Home? Get the Value of Your Central or Southwest Virginia Home Looking to Buy a Home? Search All Homes on the MLS What does it mean when someone says they are “just starting” their hom…

Getting a home inspection offers many benefits if you’re thinking of buying an as-is property and making renovations to it.Want to Sell Your Home? Get the Value of Your Central or Southwest Virginia HomeLooking to Buy a Home? Search All Homes on the MLSIf you’re thinking about buying an as-is property and making some renovations, do you need an ins…